Network Cabinet

ABSTRACT

A network cabinet is provided comprising a base member, two pairs of vertical frame rail members connected to the base member, and a top cover supported by at least one of the vertical frame rail members. The base member defines an opening and another opening is defined in the top cover. The vertical frame rail members are positioned spaced apart from four sidewalls from four corners of the cabinet formed by the four sidewalls, where each sidewall comprises a panel or a door. The two pairs of vertical frame rail members and the four sidewalls define at least one cable management pathway and at least a portion of the cable management pathway is vertically aligned with at least a portion of the opening of the base member and the opening of the top cover. The network cabinet may also comprise two front corner posts and two rear corner posts.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 12/360,565,filed Jan. 27, 2009, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.11/467,956, filed Aug. 29, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,498,512, issuedMar. 3, 2009, which claims priority to prior provisional patentapplication No. 60/781,923, filed Mar. 13, 2006.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to network cabinets for cable connections and,more particularly, to grounded cabinets for switching and patchingapplications.

BACKGROUND

There is a need for cabinets that provide cabinet access to the internalportions of the cabinet to install or modify cable connections and toprovide less obtrusive ways to ground the cabinet, as well as otherfeatures that provide efficiencies and conveniences.

SUMMARY

The present invention relates generally to an improved network cabinet.

In one embodiment, a network cabinet is provided comprising a basemember, a vertical frame rail member connected to the base member, andan equipment rail. The vertical frame rail member is positioned spacedapart from at least two adjacent sidewalls and a corner of the cabinetformed by the two adjacent sidewalls, where each of the sidewallscomprises a panel or a door. The equipment rail is positionable into aspaced apart relationship with the vertical frame rail member.

In another embodiment, a network cabinet is provided comprising a basemember and a pair of vertical frame rail members connected to the basemember. The base member defines an opening, and the pair of verticalframe rail members are positioned spaced apart from at least twoadjacent sidewalls and a corner of the cabinet formed by the twoadjacent sidewalls, where each of the sidewalls comprises a panel or adoor. The vertical frame rail members and one of the sidewalls define acable management pathway and at least a portion of the cable managementpathway is vertically aligned with at least a portion of the opening.

In another embodiment, a network cabinet is provided comprising a basemember, a pair of vertical frame rail members connected to the basemember, and a top cover supported by at least one of the vertical framerail members. The vertical frame rail members are positioned spacedapart from at least two adjacent sidewalls and a corner of the cabinetformed by the two adjacent sidewalls, where each of the sidewallscomprises a panel or a door. The vertical frame rail members and one ofthe sidewalls define a cable management pathway and at least a portionof the cable management pathway is vertically aligned with at least aportion of an opening defined in the top cover.

In another embodiment, a network cabinet is provided comprising a basemember, a vertical frame rail member connected to the base member, andat least one finger secured to and extending from the vertical framerail member. The vertical frame rail member is positioned spaced apartfrom at least two adjacent sidewalls and a corner of the cabinet formedby the two adjacent sidewalls, where each of the sidewalls comprises apanel or a door.

In another embodiment, a network cabinet is provided comprising a basemember, two pairs of vertical frame rail members connected to the basemember, and a top cover supported by at least one of the vertical framerail members. The base member defines an opening and another opening isdefined in the top cover. The vertical frame rail members are positionedspaced apart from four sidewalls from four corners of the cabinet formedby the four sidewalls, where each sidewall comprises a panel or a door.The two pairs of vertical frame rail members and the four sidewallsdefine at least one cable management pathway and at least a portion ofthe cable management pathway is vertically aligned with at least aportion of the opening of the base member and the opening of the topcover.

In another embodiment, a network cabinet is provided and comprising abase member comprising a pair of side to side base beams and a pair offront to back base beams, the side to side base beams intersecting thefront to back base beams. The network cabinet also comprising a verticalframe rail member connected to the base member and positioned spacedapart, along at least a portion of a length of the vertical frame railmember, from at least two adjacent sidewalls and a corner of thecabinet, with each sidewall comprising one of a panel and a door. Thenetwork cabinet further comprising a top cover supported by at least oneof the vertical frame rail members and a corner post removeablyconnected at one end to the top cover and at an opposite end to the basemember and spaced apart, along at least a portion of a length of thecorner post, from the vertical frame rail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by theaccompanying figures. It should be understood that the figures are notnecessarily to scale and that details that are not necessary for anunderstanding of the invention or that render other details difficult toperceive may be omitted. It should be understood, of course, that theinvention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodimentsillustrated herein.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of one example of a network cabinet;

FIG. 2A is a front perspective view of the base frame of the networkcabinet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B is an enlarged partial exploded view of the front door mount andbase frame shown in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2C is an enlarged partial exploded view of the adjustable equipmentrail and base frame shown in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2D is a top view of the base member of the network cabinet of FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 4A is a bottom perspective view of the base frame of FIG. 2A andtop cover of the network cabinet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4B is an enlarged partial view of the base frame and top covershown in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5A is a top view of the top cover of the network cabinet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5B is an enlarged partial view of a cable entry knockout shown inFIG. 5A;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 7A is an exploded perspective view of the base frame, top cover,and side panels of the network cabinet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7B is an enlarged partial exploded view of the base frame and sidepanel brackets shown in FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the base frame, top cover, and sidepanels of the network cabinet of FIG. 1, with one side panel partiallyinstalled;

FIG. 8B is an enlarged partial view of the base frame, top cover, andside panel shown in FIG. 8A;

FIG. 8C is an enlarged partial view of the top cover and grounding clipshown in FIG. 8B;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 8A;

FIG. 10A is a back perspective view of the network cabinet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10B is an enlarged partial view of the door handle shown in FIG.10A;

FIG. 10C is an enlarged partial view of the back of the door handleshown in FIG. 10B;

FIG. 10D is a back perspective view of the back doors of the networkcabinet of FIG. 1 with an alternative latch mechanism;

FIG. 10E is an enlarged partial view of the alternative latch mechanismshown in FIG. 10D in the open position;

FIG. 10F is an enlarged partial view of the alternative latch mechanismshown in FIG. 10D in the closed position;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11 in FIG. 10A;

FIG. 12A is a front perspective view of the network cabinet of FIG. 1,with the front door partially open;

FIG. 12B is an enlarged partial view of a safety hinge of the front doorshown in FIG. 12A;

FIG. 12C is a back view of the safety hinge in FIG. 12B;

FIG. 12D is an enlarged partial view of a second safety hinge of thefront door shown in FIG. 12A;

FIG. 12E is an enlarged partial view of a front door lifting mechanismof the front door shown in FIG. 12A;

FIG. 12F is a back perspective view of the front door of the networkcabinet shown in FIG. 12A with an alternative latch mechanism;

FIG. 12G is an enlarged partial view of the alternative latch mechanismof the front door shown in FIG. 12F;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 13-13 in FIG. 12A;

FIG. 14A is a front perspective view of the base frame of the networkcabinet of FIG. 1 with caster assemblies, cable management units, andslack management spools attached;

FIG. 14B is an exploded, enlarged partial view of a caster assemblyshown in FIG. 14A;

FIG. 15A is a back perspective view of a right hand cable managementunit;

FIG. 15B is a back perspective view of a left hand cable managementunit;

FIG. 16A is an exploded partial enlarged view showing the attachment ofa right hand cable management unit to the base frame of the networkcabinet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 16B is an exploded partial enlarged view showing the attachment ofa left hand cable management unit to the base frame of the networkcabinet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 17-17 in FIG. 15B;

FIG. 18A is an exploded partial enlarged view showing the attachment ofa slack management spool to the base frame of the network cabinet ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 18B is a side view of the slack management spool shown in FIG. 18A;

FIG. 19 is a front perspective view of two network cabinets gangedtogether;

FIG. 20 is a front perspective view of the network cabinets in FIG. 19,with the front doors open;

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 21-21 in FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a front perspective view of another example of a networkcabinet, with front and rear doors open and an exhaust duct positionedon top of the cabinet;

FIG. 23 is a bottom perspective view of a base frame, a top cover, apair of front corner posts, and a pair of rear corner posts of thenetwork cabinet of FIG. 22;

FIG. 23A is an enlarged partial view of detail 23A shown in FIG. 23;

FIG. 23B is an enlarged partial view of detail 23B shown in FIG. 23;

FIG. 23C is a rear perspective view of a base frame, a top cover, a pairof front corner posts, and a pair of rear corner posts of the networkcabinet of FIG. 22;

FIG. 23D is an enlarged partial view of detail 23D shown in FIG. 23C;

FIG. 23E is a front perspective view of a base frame, a top cover, apair of front corner posts, and a pair of rear corner posts of thenetwork cabinet of FIG. 22;

FIG. 23F is an enlarged partial view of detail 23F shown in FIG. 23E;

FIG. 24 is a top view of the top cover of the network cabinet of FIG.22;

FIG. 24A is an enlarged partial view of a grommet of a sealing assemblyand a cable entry opening shown in FIG. 24;

FIG. 24B is another enlarged partial view similar to FIG. 24A, shownwith the grommet removed from the cable entry opening;

FIG. 25 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the networkcabinet of FIG. 22;

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view of the network cabinet of FIG. 22similar to the cross-sectional view in FIG. 9;

FIG. 27 is a front perspective view of the network cabinet of FIG. 22,with the front doors open;

FIG. 27A is an enlarged partial view of detail 27A shown in FIG. 27,detail 27A showing a hinge of one of the front doors shown in FIG. 27;

FIG. 28 is a front perspective view of two network cabinets of FIG. 22ganged together, with front doors, rear doors, and side panels removed;and

FIG. 29 is a top view of the network cabinets in FIG. 28, shown with thetop covers removed and a cable management pathway shown in cross-hatch.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, one embodiment of a network cabinet 10 according tothe present invention is shown. In the embodiment shown, the networkcabinet generally includes a base frame 100, top cover 200, side panels300, back doors 400, and front door 500. When fully assembled, theexemplary network cabinet is approximately 32 inches wide, 40 inchesdeep, and 84 inches high and has 45 rack units with a 2,000 pound loadrating.

Referring to FIG. 2A, an exemplary base frame 100 of the network cabinet10 is shown. In this embodiment, the base frame 100 is conductive andgenerally includes a pair of front vertical frame rails 105, a pair ofback vertical frame rails 110, a pair of front to back base beams 115, apair of side to side base beams 120, a pair of front to back top beams125, a pair of side to side top beams 130, and front to back supportbeams 135, all of which are typically steel but can be made of anysuitable conductive or non-conductive material. As can be seen in FIGS.1 and 2A and as described in more detail below, the front and backvertical frame rails 105, 110 are inset from side panels 300, back doors400, front door 500, and the corners of the network cabinet 10 that areformed by side panels 300, back doors 400, and front door 500. Thisinset provides unobstructed space along all of the sides of the networkcabinet 10 for cable management pathways.

In the embodiment shown, the side to side base beams 120 have arectangular cross-section geometry and are positioned between andperpendicular to the front to back base beams 115, which also have arectangular cross-section geometry. The side to side base beams 120 arewelded to the front to back base beams 115 and, along with the doormounts 15, form a base member for the network cabinet and defineopenings 123, as seen in FIG. 2D as the cross-hatched areas. The frontvertical frame rails 105 and back vertical frame rails 110 have agenerally “C” shaped cross-section geometry and are positionedvertically on the front to back base beams 115 and welded to the frontto back base beams 115. The space created by setting frame rails 105,110 back from the side panels 300 provides cable management pathwaybetween the frame rails 105, 110 and the side panels 300 when thenetwork cabinet is fully assembled. The side to side top beams 130 havea generally “U” shaped cross-section geometry and are positioned betweenand perpendicular to the front to back top beams 125, which have agenerally “C” shaped cross-section geometry. The side to side top beams130 are welded to the front to back top beams 125 to form a support forthe top cover and are supported by vertical frame rails 105, 110. Thefront to back top beams 125 are positioned at the top end of the frontand back vertical frame rails 105, 110 and welded to the front and backvertical frame rails 105, 110. The front and back vertical frame rails105, 110 are positioned so that they are set back from the correspondingends of the front to back base beams 115. The space created by settingthe frame rails 105, 110 back from the ends of the front to back basebeams 115 provides a cable management pathway between the frame rails105, 110 and the front and back doors 500, 400 when the network cabinetis fully assembled.

In the embodiment shown, the front to back support beams 135 have agenerally “C” shaped cross-section geometry, are positioned between andperpendicular to corresponding front and back vertical frame rails 105,110, and are welded to the front and back vertical frame rails 105, 110.By welding together all of the steel components of the base frame 100,the base frame 100 is a single conductive, bonded unit. In this example,a ground whip 25 is bonded to front to back top beam 125 and is, inturn, connected at its opposing end to a main building ground. Groundwhip 25 can also be attached to any other base frame 100 structuralmember to provide a single ground point for the base frame 100.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, a pair of steel door mounts 15 are shownthat have a generally “L” shaped cross-section geometry and are used tosupport the back and front doors 400, 500. Each door mount 15 isattached to an end of each front to back base beam 115 by bolts 30 thatextend through holes 16 in the door mounts 15 and thread into nuts 40that are welded to end caps (not shown), which are attached and bondedto the ends of the front to back base beams 115, such as by welding. Inaddition, as shown in FIG. 2B, at one of the two attachment points thedoor mount 15 is also bonded to the front to back base beam 115 byplacing an internal tooth lock washer 35 between the bolt 30 and thedoor mount 15. The bolt 30 is inserted through the internal tooth lockwasher 35 and through a hole 16 in the door mount 15 and is threadedinto nut 40. The internal tooth lock washer 35 has teeth that pierce thepaint or coating on the door mount 15 and bite into the metal of thedoor mount 15 to provide a ground path between the door mount 15 and thefront to back base beam 115 through washer 35, bolt 30, and nut 40. Ananti-oxidant paste could also be placed on the door mount 15, betweenthe door mount 15 and lock washer 35, to prevent possible corrosionwhere the teeth of the lock washer 35 bite into the metal of the doormount 15. Alternatively, a regular washer could be used and the areaaround the hole 16 could be masked off or a serrated head bolt could beused in place of the bolt 30 and internal tooth lock washer 35 tosimilarly provide a bond between door mount 15 and front to back basebeam 115 if bonding is desired.

Although the various elements of base frame 100 have been describedabove as having a particular geometry, being made of a particularmaterial, and having particular connections, it will be understood thateach of these elements could be made of varying geometries, varyingmaterials, and connected by any suitable means as a particularapplication requires.

Referring to FIGS. 2A, 2C, and 3, in this embodiment steel adjustableequipment rails 20 are shown that have a generally “L” shapedcross-section geometry and are used to mount equipment, such as patchpanels, switches, or other network hardware equipment (not shown) in thenetwork cabinet. Adjustable equipment rails 20 can also be made of othermaterials and have other geometries as required by a particularapplication. As can best be seen in FIG. 3, the equipment rails 20 eachhave a series of mounting holes 23 that are used to mount equipment tothe equipment rails 20. In one example, the mounting holes 23 can betapped holes that are threaded to accept a mounting bolt or screw (notshown) or in another example can be square holes that are adapted toaccept a caged nut, which will then accept a mounting bolt or screw. Inaddition, as described in more detail below, the equipment rails 20 canbe adjusted in relation to the frame rails 105, 110 by sliding themforward and backward along the front to back support beams 135. Theequipment rails 20 enable equipment to be mounted at four points and inthe exemplary network cabinet 10 can accommodate mounting depths of upto 25.9 inches.

Each equipment rail 20 can extend approximately from a front to backbase beam 115 to the corresponding front to back top beam 125 and isconnected to each of the three front to back support beams 135 which areeach positioned at different elevations opposing sides of the base frame100. In this embodiment, the equipment rails are connected to two of thefront to back support beams 135 by inserting a bolt 45 through a hole 21in one side of the equipment rail 20 and through a slot 140 (see FIG.2C) in the front to back support beams 135 so that the threaded end ofthe bolt 45 extends into a channel 145 formed by the front to backsupport beam 135. A jam-nut 55 is positioned within the channel 145 andthe bolt is threaded into the jam-nut 55. The jam-nut 55 here has anoblong configuration in which the length of the jam-nut 55 is greaterthan the width of the channel 145, thereby preventing rotation of thejam-nut 55 within the channel 145. The use of the jam-nut 55 allows thebolt 45 to be tightened without the need for a wrench or other tool tohold the nut securely within the channel 145. In addition, the use ofbolt 45 and jam-nut 55 allows easy loosening of the connection betweenthe adjustable equipment rails 20 and the front to back support beams135, allowing for easy adjustment of the equipment rails 20 along frontto back support beam 135.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 2C and 3, in this embodiment at the thirdconnection of equipment rail 20 to a front to back support beam 135, theconnection is bonded by placing an internal tooth lock washer 50 betweenthe bolt 45 and the equipment rail 20 and a second internal tooth lockwasher 51 between the jam-nut 55 and the front to back support beam 135.The internal tooth lock washers 50, 51 have teeth that pierce the paintor coating and bite into the metal of the equipment rail 20 and front toback support beams 135. An anti-oxidant paste could also be placed onthe equipment rail 20 and front to back support beam 135, underneath thelock washers 50, 51, to prevent possible corrosion where the teeth ofthe lock washers 50, 51 bite into the metal of the equipment rail 20 andfront to back support beam 135. This provides a ground path from theequipment rail 20 to the front to back support beams 135 through thebolt 45, washers 50, 51, and jam-nut 55. This bonding makes adjustmentof the equipment rails 20 more convenient since there are no jumperwires to disconnect and reconnect when the equipment rails 20 are moved.Alternatively, regular washers could be used and the area around thehole in the adjustable equipment rail 20 and the slot 140 in the frontto back support beam 135 could be masked off or a serrated head boltcould be used in place of the bolt 45 and lock washer 50 if bonding isdesired.

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, in this embodiment the top cover 200 isgenerally rectangular steel sheet having rolled over edges that ispositioned on the front to back top beams 125 and side to side top beams130 and secured to the front to back top beams 125. Four steel threadedmembers 230 are welded to the bottom side of the top cover 200 andextend from the bottom side of the top cover 200 such that they alignwith holes or slots (not shown) in the top surfaces of the front to backtop beams 125. The threaded members 230 are aligned with and insertedinto the holes in the front to back top beams 125 such that they extendthrough the holes. On three of the threaded members 230, hex nuts 235are threaded onto the threaded members 230 to secure the top cover 200.On the fourth threaded member 230, the top cover 200 is also bonded tothe front to back top beam 125 by placing an internal tooth lock washer240 between the hex nut 235 and the front to back top beam 125. Ananti-oxidant paste could also be placed on the front to back top beam125, underneath the lock washer 240, to prevent possible corrosion wherethe teeth of the lock washer 240 bites into the metal of the front toback top beam 125. This provides a ground path from the top cover 200 tothe front to back top beam 125 through the threaded member 230, hex nut235, and lock washer 240. Alternatively, a regular washer could be usedand the area around the hole in the front to back top beam 125 could bemasked off or an internal tooth hex nut could be used in place of hexnut 235 and lock washer 240 if bonding is desired. In addition, topcover 200 could be constructed of any geometry and material and beconnected via any means appropriate for a given application.

Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the top cover 200 also has a centerknockout 205 and multiple cable entry knockouts 210. The center knockout205 can be removed to form an opening in top cover 200 to provide accessto and ventilation for a fan mounted in the cabinet, for louvers, forcable entry, etc., and the cable entry knockouts 210 can be removed toform openings in top cover 200 to provide cable entry access in anover-head cable deployment application.

In this particular embodiment, each knockout 205, 210 is formed bycutting a slot 215 through the top cover 200 around the periphery ofeach knockout 205, 210. The slot 215 is cut almost completely around theperiphery of each knockout 205, 210, except for the areas of the joiningwebs 225, which connect the main portion of the top cover 200 to theknockouts 205, 210 and hold the knockouts 205, 210 in place prior toremoval. Each knockout 205, 210 has a minimum of four joining webs 225,as shown in FIG. 5B. The use of at least four joining webs 225 securelyholds the knockouts 205, 210 in place in the installed position, whereastypical larger-size knockouts in sheet-metal components have beenloosely held with only two joining webs and have been susceptible toinadvertent removal. In addition, at the end of each portion of the slot215, there is an enlarged opening 220, which is sized to accept commonhand tool cutters that can be used to cut the joining webs 225, whichmakes removal of the knockouts 205, 210 easier.

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 6, four leveling legs 60 extend below thefront to back base beams 115 to provide support and leveling capabilityfor the network cabinet. As can best be seen in FIG. 6, in thisembodiment each leveling leg 60 has a top portion 61 that extendsthrough the top surface of the front to back base beam 115 and isaccessible above the front to back base beam 115. The top portion 61 hasa hexagonal or other cross-section that can be used with a socket wrenchor other similar tool to raise and lower the leveling legs 60, asdescribed below. Alternatively, the top portion 61 could be slotted sothat it can be used with a screwdriver or other similar tool to raiseand lower the leveling legs 60. Each leveling leg 60 also has a threadedbody portion 63. The threaded body portion 63 is threaded through a nut65 that is welded to a leveling leg support 70, which is attached andbonded to the front to back base beam 115, such as by welding. Thissecures the leveling leg 60 to the front to back base beam 115 andallows adjustment of the leveling leg 60, as discussed below. The foot64 of the leveling leg is positioned below the front to back base beam115 and is the portion of the leveling leg 60 that rests on the groundor floor to provide support.

With this construction, to adjust the height or level the networkcabinet, a socket wrench or other similar tool is placed on the topportion 61 and the leveling leg 60 is rotated. As the leveling leg 60 isrotated, the interaction of the threaded body portion 63 and the nut 65will raise or lower the leveling leg 60 depending on the direction ofrotation. In this fashion, adjustment of the height of the front to backbase beam 115 off of the floor can be accomplished. Being able to accessand rotate the leveling legs 60 from the top allows the leveling legs 60to be easily adjusted without having to tip or move the network cabinet.It also assists with the installation/removal of optional casters, whichis discussed in more detail below. Furthermore, when casters are notinstalled, the leveling legs 60 can be fully retracted into the front toback base beams 115 so that the front to back base beams 115 and side toside base beams 120 will sit on the ground and the cabinet load will bedistributed.

Referring to FIGS. 7A, 7B, 8A, and 9, the side panels 300 in thisembodiment are generally rectangular sheet steel that can be solid orperforated for aesthetics and air flow. Alternatively, rather than usinga single side panel 300 per side of the network cabinet, multiple sidepanels could be used on each side and various geometries, materials, anddesigns could be used depending on the particular application. Here, theside panels 300 have hooks 305 attached to the bottom inside surface ofthe side panels 300 and latches 315 attached to the top of the sidepanels 300.

To mount the side panels 300, a bar 310 is attached between the frontand back door mounts 15 by end brackets 312. The bar 310 is alsosupported near its center by center bracket 311, which is attached tothe front to back base beam 115. As can best be seen in FIGS. 8A and 9,the hooks 305 are placed over the bar 310 to support the side panel 300and the side panel 300 is aligned. The side panel 300 is then rotatedinto a vertical position and the latches 315 secure the side panel 300to a side flange 202 of the top cover 200. Alternatively, the latches315 can also have a locking assembly that allows the latches 315 to belocked into position once the side panels 300 have been mounted.

As can best be seen in FIG. 7B, in this embodiment a center bracket 320is attached and bonded to the center front to back support beam 135 andside brackets 325 are attached and bonded to a front vertical frame rail105 and a back vertical frame rail 110. Trilobular screws 330 can beinserted through holes 321 in the brackets 320, 325 and threaded intothe front to back support beam 135 and vertical frame rails 105, 110,securing the brackets 320, 325 to the front to back support beam 135 andvertical frame rails 105, 110. The trilobular screws 330 can also beused to bond to the front and back support beam 135 and vertical framerails 105, 110 by cutting threads into the metal of the front to backsupport beam 135 and vertical frame rails 105, 110. An area around theholes 321 in the brackets 320, 325 is masked and left unpainted, therebyalso bonding the trilobular screws 330 to the brackets 320, 325.Alternatively, rather than masking portions around the holes 321, atrilobular screw having teeth on the underside of the head that will cutinto the metal of the brackets 320, 325 can be used if bonding isdesired.

In this embodiment, the brackets 320, 325 provide support for the sidepanels 300 and offset the side panels 300 from the front and backvertical frame rails 105, 110 and front to back support rails 135,thereby providing easily accessible vertical cable management pathwaysbetween the side panels 300 and the front and back vertical frame rails105, 100 and front to back support rails 135. In addition, brackets 325on each side of bracket 320 provide a guide or channel for placingcables extending in a vertical direction within the cabinet andproximate to the respective corners of the cabinet. Alternatively,brackets 320, 325 could be removed if not needed for a particularapplication.

Referring to FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C, in this embodiment the side panels300 are bonded to top cover 200 through a grounding clip 335. Thegrounding clip 335 is attached to a masked, unpainted portion of theside flange 202 of the top cover 200. Each side panel 300 also has amasked, unpainted portion of the inside surface that contacts thegrounding clip 335 and compresses the grounding clip 335 once the sidepanel 300 is latched in place. The contact of the grounding clip 335with the masked, unpainted portions of the top cover 200 and side panel300 bonds each side panel 300 to the top cover 200.

Alternatively, rather than using grounding clips 335 to bond the sidepanels 300 to the top cover 200, the side panels 300 could be bonded tothe base frame 100 through the bar 310 and hooks 305. To provide bondingin this manner, one of the end brackets 312, which is welded to the bar310, would be attached to a door mount 15 so that a bond is created andone of the hooks 305 would be attached to the side panel 300 so that abond is created, such as by welding or the use of internal tooth lockwashers, trilobular screws, paint masking, etc., as describedthroughout. A bond would then be created between the bar 310 and thebonded hook 305 by paint masking the bar 310 in the area that willcontact the hook 305.

Referring to FIG. 10A, in this embodiment the back doors 400 are mountedto the back of the network cabinet 10 between the top cover 200 and theback door mount 15. In the example shown, the back doors 400 are splitdoors and are generally rectangular sheet steel that can be solid orperforated for aesthetics and air flow. Alternatively, rather than usingsplit doors, a single back door or any other type of door having variousgeometries and being made of various materials could be used dependingon the particular application. Here, each of the back doors 400 hingesopen on pins at the top and bottom of the outside corners of the backdoors 400.

Referring to FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C, in the example shown, one of theback doors 400′ has a latch mechanism 405 that secures the door to thetop cover 200 and back door mount 15. The latch mechanism 405 has a doorhandle 410 that is accessible from the outside of the back door 400′ andcan also have a cylinder lock 430 that can lock the door handle 410 inthe closed position. On the inside of the back door 400′, the doorhandle 410 is connected to a cam plate 415 that can rotate as the doorhandle 410 is rotated. An upper rod 420 is attached to one end of thecam plate 415 and a lower rod 425 is attached to the other end of thecam plate 415, opposite the upper rod 420. The upper rod 420 extendsgenerally vertically from the cam plate 415 up to the top cover 200 andthe lower rod 425 extends generally vertically from the cam plate 415down to the door mount 15. When in the closed position, the upper rod420 extends into a hole in the top cover 200 and the lower rod 425extends into a hole in the door mount 15, thereby securing the back doorclosed.

In the example shown in FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C, one of the back doors400′ has a latch mechanism 405 and the opposite back door 400″ isoverlapped by the back door 400′ with the latch mechanism to hold it inthe closed position. Alternatively, rather than overlapping, both backdoors 400′, 400″ could have latch mechanisms 405.

In another example, shown in FIGS. 10D, 10E, and 10F, one of the backdoors 400′ again has a latch mechanism 405A that secures the door to thetop cover 200 and back door mount 15. The latch mechanism 405A has adoor handle (not shown) that is accessible from the outside of the backdoor 400′ and can also have a cylinder lock 430A that can lock the doorhandle in the closed position. On the inside of the back door 400′, thedoor handle is connected to a cam plate 415A that can rotate as the doorhandle is rotated. An upper rod 420A is attached to one end of the camplate 415A and a lower rod 425A is attached to the other end of the camplate 415A, opposite the upper rod 420A. The upper rod 420A extendsgenerally vertically from the cam plate 415A up to the top cover 200 andthe lower rod 425A extends generally vertically from the cam plate 415Adown to the door mount 15. When in the closed position, the upper rod420A extends into a hole in the top cover 200 and the lower rod 425Aextends into a hole in the door mount 15, thereby securing the back doorclosed.

Referring specifically to FIGS. 10E and 10F, in the example shown, theback doors 400′, 400″ still overlap to hold the second door 400″ in theclosed position, but also have an additional feature to provide extrasecurity for the second door 400″. In the example shown, cam plate 415Ahas a locking arm 416 that extends outward from and generallyperpendicular to the axis of rotation of cam plate 515A and back door400″ has a plate 460 that includes a slot 465, which is configured toreceive locking arm 416. Plate 460 can be a separate piece that isattached to back door 400″, such as by welding or screws, or plate 460can be integrally formed with back door 400″. In addition, locking arm416 can be shaped in a stair-step configuration towards the back door400′ to move locking arm 416 away from the inside of the network cabinet10, which reduces the risk that locking arm 416 will pinch or catchcables or wiring that are in the cabinet 10.

As can be seen in FIG. 10E, when the latch mechanism 405A is in an openposition, locking arm 416 extends downward and does not engage slot 465and the back doors 400′, 400″ can be opened. Conversely, as can be seenin FIG. 10F, when the latch mechanism 405A is moved to a closedposition, locking arm 416 rotates until it is generally horizontal andengages slot 465. When in this position, the back door 400″ is securedby the overlap of back door 400′ over back door 400″ and also by theengagement of locking arm 416 with slot 465.

Referring to FIG. 11, each of the back doors 400 can be bonded to thetop cover 200 through a spring loaded hinge assembly 435, which includesa generally cylindrical body 440, hinge pin 445, release arm 455, andspring 450. The body 440 is steel, or other conductive material, and iswelded to the inside surface of the back door 400. The hinge pin 445 issteel, or other conductive material, and is positioned inside the body440. The release arm 455 is generally “L” shaped, extends through a holein the end of the body 440, and threads into the hinge pin 445. Spring450 is positioned inside of the body 440 and is compressed between thehinge pin 445 and the end of the body 440. Spring 450 biases the hingepin 445 outward from the body 440 and allows the hinge pin 445 to beretracted when the release arm 455 is pulled. Hinge pin 445 extends fromthe end of the body 440, through a hole in the top of the back door 400and through bushing 260 in top cover 200, where hinge pin 445 contacts athread forming screw 255 that is bonded to the top cover 200.

To bond the thread forming screw to the top cover 200, a conductiveground angle 245 is welded to the inside surface of the top cover 200and the thread forming screw 255 is threaded into the ground angle 245and into a nut 250 that is welded to the ground angle 245, therebyproviding a bond between the top cover 200 and the screw 255.

To install or remove the back door 400, the release arm 455 is pulleddownward, which compresses the spring 450 and retracts the hinge pin 445into the body 440. With the hinge pin 445 below the level of the bushing260, the back door 400 can be placed in position or removed. Once theback door 400 is in position, the release arm 455 is released and thespring 450 pushes the hinge pin 445 outward through the bushing 260until the hinge pin 445 contacts the screw 255.

In this example, the spring loaded hinge assembly 435 provides the hingemechanism for the back door 400 and also provides a positive groundingpath when the back doors 400 are installed. This allows the removal ofthe back doors 400 without the need of disconnecting any groundingjumper wires.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, in this example the door mounts 15 alsohave holes 18 that are inset from the bushings 600 that receive thebottom fixed hinge pin for the back doors 400. Although FIGS. 2A and 2Bshow the door mount 15 for the front door 500, the two door mounts 15are mirror images of each other and the door mount 15 for the back doors400 contains identical holes 18. Referring to FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 11, thetop cover 200 has holes 265 that are inset from the bushings 260 thatreceive the hinge pin 445 of the spring loaded hinge mechanism 435. Eachof the holes 18 in the door mounts 15 is aligned in a generally verticalaxis with a corresponding hole 265 in the top cover 200 and provides astorage mechanism for a back door 400 that has been removed.

For example, as described above, a back door 400 can be removed bypulling downward on the release arm 455, which retracts the hinge pin445 and allows the back door 400 to be tilted and removed. Rather thanhaving to lean the removed back door 400 on the cabinet 10 or against awall or other equipment where it can be bumped into or knocked over, theremoved back door 400 can be stored using holes 18 and 265 in the doormount 15 and top cover 200. To store the removed back door 400, theopposite back door is opened, the fixed hinge pin on the bottom of theremoved back door 400 is inserted into the hole 18 in the door mount 15nearest the bushing 600 of the open back door, and the hinge pin 445 ofthe spring loaded hinge mechanism 435 is inserted into the correspondinghole 265 in the top cover 200 by pulling downward on the release arm455.

Referring to FIG. 12A, in this embodiment front door 500 is mounted tothe front of the network cabinet 10 between top cover 200 and the frontdoor mount 15. In the example shown, the front door 500 is generallyrectangular sheet steel that can be solid or perforated for aestheticsand air flow, is dual hinged, as described in more detail below, and canbe opened from either the left or right side giving full access toeither the left or right rack and vertical cable management channelswithout having to remove front door 500. Alternatively, rather thanusing a single dual hinged door, split doors, a single hinged door, orany other type of door could be used as well and front door 500 could bemade of any geometry and of any material and design as required for aparticular application.

Referring to FIG. 12A, in this example, front door 500 has two latchmechanisms 505, one on each side of the front door 500. The latchmechanisms 505 have a door handle 510 (as shown in FIG. 19), cam plate515, upper rod 520, and lower rod 525, and are substantially identicalin operation to the latch mechanism 405 described above for the reardoors 400 (see FIGS. 10B and 10C). The latch mechanisms 505 can alsohave a cylinder lock 530 (as shown in FIG. 19), which can lock the doorhandle 510 in the closed position.

Referring to FIG. 12A, at each top and bottom corner of the front door500 (four positions total) is a locking hinge assembly 535. FIGS. 12Band 12D show the locking hinge assemblies 535 on the bottom corners ofthe front door 500 and it will be understood that the assemblies on thetop corners are identical to those described herein for the bottomcorners. FIG. 12C shows the backside of the latch mechanism shown inFIG. 12B. Each locking hinge assembly 535 includes a hinge lever 540,hinge support 542, hinge pin 545, an inner lever stop 555, and an outerlever stop 570. As used herein, an inner lever stop 555 is the leverstop that is closest to the hinge pin 545 and an outer lever stop 570 isthe lever stop that is furthest from the hinge pin 545.

The hinge support 542 has a generally vertical wall 543 that is attachedto the front door 500, such as by welding, with screws, etc., and agenerally horizontal wall 544 extends generally perpendicular from thetop of the vertical wall 543. The hinge lever 540 is mounted to thevertical wall 543 of hinge support 542 by pin 560 such that lever arm540 can rotate about pin 560. Hinge lever 540 is also rotatablyconnected to a lower rod 525 (or upper rod 520 depending on whichlocking hinge assembly) at one end and to the hinge pin 545 at the endopposite the lower rod 525. The hinge pin 545 extends generallyvertically through the front door 500 and through the horizontal wall544.

A lever stop hinge pin 550, as seen in FIG. 12C, is attached to thefront door 500 and the lever stops 555, 570 are mounted onto the leverstop hinge pin 550 such that the lever stops 555, 570 can rotate aboutthe hinge pin 550. Each of the lever stops 555, 570 has a generallyvertical stop arm 556, 571 and a generally horizontal release arm 557,572. A torsion spring 565 is mounted on the lever stop hinge pin 565 andhas ends that extend out to the stop arms 556, 571 of the lever stops555, 570 to bias the lever stops 555, 570 into a forward position.

In operation, when the front door 500 is closed (the closed position isdefined as both top corners of the front door 500 seated against the topcover 200 and both bottom corners of the front door 500 seated againstthe door mount 15) the upper and lower rods 520, 525 are pulled towardsthe center of the front door 500, thereby rotating the lever arms 540and extending the hinge pins 545 into their corresponding bushings 600in the door mount 15 or top cover 200. Therefore, the hinge pins 545 ineach of the four corners of the front door 500 engage the bushings 600in the door mount 15 or top cover 200 and the front door 500 is fullysecured. In addition, when in the closed position, the door mount 15 ortop cover 200 will push against the release arms 557, 572 of both leverstops 555, 570, thereby disengaging the stop arms 556, 571 of both leverstops 555, 570 from the hinge lever 540. This allows the hinge lever 540to rotate freely in either direction. Referring specifically to FIG.12B, when a door handle is rotated from a closed to an open position thelower rod 525 is lowered, the hinge lever 540 is rotatedcounter-clockwise about pin 560, and the hinge pin 545 is raised. Thisenables the front door 500 to be hinged open about the hinge pins 545 inthe opposite side. Conversely, when the lower rod 525 is raised (e.g.the door handle is moved from an open to a closed position), the hingelever 540 will rotate clockwise about pin 560 and lower the hinge pin545.

Referring specifically to FIGS. 12B and 12D, operation of the lockinghinge assemblies 535 is shown when the left side of the front door isunlocked and the front door is opened from left to right (as seen whenfacing the front of the network cabinet 10), as shown in FIG. 12A. FIG.12B shows the operation of the locking hinge assemblies 535 on the sideof the front door 500 that remains engaged, and FIG. 12D shows theoperation of the locking hinge assemblies 535 on the side of the frontdoor 500 that is disengaged.

Referring to FIG. 12B, when the front door 500 is moved from the closedposition the door mount 15 no longer pushes against the release arms557, 572 of the lever stops 555, 570 and the torsion spring attempts topush the lever stops 555, 570 into a forward position. Because the hingelever 540 is still in the locked position, the inner lever stop 555 isblocked by the hinge lever 540 and cannot rotate forward. However, theouter lever stop 570 is not obstructed by the hinge lever 540 and ispushed into a forward position by the torsion spring. When the outerlever stop 570 is in the forward position, the stop arm 571 ispositioned underneath the hinge lever 540, thereby preventing the hingelever 540 from rotating. Therefore, in this position, if a user were toattempt to turn the door handle (attempting to move the lower rod 525downward) the stop arm 571 prevents the hinge lever 540 from moving,thereby preventing the door handle from being moved. This prevents anengaged hinge from being accidentally disengaged if the opposing hingeis disengaged and the front door 500 is open. Should this accidentaldisengagement not be prevented, front door 500 could easily fall ontoand injure a person positioned in front of the network cabinet 10.

Referring to FIG. 12D, to move the front door 500 from the closedposition the locking hinge mechanisms 535 on the side to be opened mustbe disengaged. When a user turns the door handle the lower rod 525 ispushed down, which rotates the hinge lever 540 and pulls back the hingepin 545. After the locking hinge mechanisms 535 have been disengaged andthe front door 500 is moved from the closed position, the door mount 15no longer pushes against the release arms 557, 572 of the lever stops555, 570 and the torsion spring attempts to push the lever stops 555,570 into a forward position. Because the hinge lever 540 has been movedfrom the locked position, the outer lever stop 570 is blocked by thehinge lever 540 and cannot rotate forward. However, the inner lever stop555 is not obstructed by the hinge lever 540 and is pushed into aforward position by the torsion spring. When the inner lever stop 555 isin the forward position, the stop arm 556 is positioned underneath thehinge lever 540, thereby preventing the hinge lever 540 from rotating.Therefore, in this position, if a user were to attempt to turn the doorhandle (attempting to move the lower rod 525 upward) the stop arm 557prevents the hinge lever 540 from moving, thereby preventing the doorhandle from being moved. This prevents the closing of the door handleuntil the front door 500 is in the fully closed position such that leverstop 555 has been pushed backward thereby unobstructing hinge lever 540allowing hinge pin 545 to be lowered through and fully engage bushing600.

As can be seen from the above description, the locking hinge assemblies535 require that the front door 500 be in a closed position before theuser can change the state of the front door 500 (e.g. engage ordisengage the locking hinge assemblies 535). This accomplishes twoimportant goals: (1) it prevents unexpected and accidental removal ofthe front door 500 (when one side is open, the other side is locked andcannot be disengaged until the front door 500 is closed); and (2) itprevents a user from mistakenly thinking that the front door 500 isclosed when it is still ajar (the door handle cannot be moved into theclosed position until the front door 500 is completely closed and thelever stops allow movement of the hinge lever).

To remove the front door 500, the front door 500 is first placed in theclosed position. In this position all of the inner and outer lever stops555, 570 of all of the locking hinge assemblies 535 are pushed into aretracted position allowing all of the hinge levers 540 to move freely.While in the closed position, both of the door handles are turned whichwill disengage all of the locking hinge assemblies 535 by extending theupper and lower rods 520, 525 and retracting the hinge pins 545 fromtheir respective bushings 260, 600, allowing removal of the front door500. Once the front door 500 has been removed, the inner lever stops 555are move into their forward position by the torsion spring 565, therebyobstructing the hinge lever 540 and preventing the door handles frombeing turned. To install the front door 500, the above process isreversed. The front door 500 is placed against the door mount 15 and topcover 200 such that the hinge pins 545 are aligned with their respectivebushings 260, 600. In this position, the door mount 15 and top cover 200will push the inner lever stops 555 backwards and out of the way of thehinge lever 540, thereby allowing the hinge lever 540 to move freely.Both of the door handles are then turned to retract the upper and lowerrods 520, 525 and thereby extend the hinge pins 545 into theirrespective bushings 260, 600.

Referring to FIG. 12E, the engagement between the hinge pin 545 of thefront door 500 and the door mount 15 is shown. The hinge pin 545 extendsthrough and engages a bushing 600 that is positioned in a hole in thetop of the door mount 15. In this example, lifting screw 605 is threadedinto the bottom portion of the door mount 15 just below the bushing 600that engages the hinge pin 545. As the door handle is moved into theclosed position, the hinge pin 545 moves down through the bushing 600and contacts the lifting screw 605. After the hinge pin 545 contacts thelifting screw 605, the hinge pin 545 continues to move downward andlifts the front door 500 off of the bushing 600. Therefore, the frontdoor 500 rides on the hinge pin 545, which provides clearance betweenfront door 500 and door mount 15 when closing the front door 500 andcompensates for door sag and/or worst case tolerance stack-ups.

In the example described above, with the weight of front door 500 ridingon hinge pin 545 (rather than on bushing 600), there is a constant forceon the bottom hinge pins 545 attempting to push hinge pins 545 into aretracted position. If the door handle is not fully engaged when thefront door 500 is in the closed position, the force on the hinge pins545 could cause the door handle to rotate towards an open position andpossibly disengage locking hinge assemblies 535. To prevent this fromhappening an overcam latch mechanism can be used. Referring to FIGS. 12Fand 12G, the overcam latch mechanism 505A is substantially identical tolatch mechanisms 505 described above in that it has a door handle (notshown), a cam plate 515A connected to the door handle, and upper andlower rods 520, 525 that are connected to lobes of the cam plate 515A.The main difference between latch mechanism 505 and latch mechanism 505Ais the design of the cam plate 515A. The cam plate 515 in latchmechanism 505 has lobes that are aligned and extend outward from theaxis of rotation of the cam plate 515. Conversely, the cam plate 515A inthe overcam latch mechanism 505A has lobes 517, 518 that are generallyperpendicular to each other and extend outward from the axis of rotationof the cam plate 515A.

As can best be seen in FIG. 12G, when the front door 500 is in theclosed position and the locking hinge assemblies 535 are engaged, thelobe 517 that is connected to lower rod 525 (and therefore bottom hingepin 545) is extending substantially vertically. In operation, a forceexerted on the lower hinge pin 545 that attempts to retract the hingepin 545 (such as the weight of the front door 500 riding on hinge pin545) will place a downward force on the lower rod 525. However, sincelobe 517 is oriented vertically, this downward force on lower rod 525will not cause the cam plate 515A (and therefore the door handle) torotate. In order to rotate the door handle and cam plate 515A, apositive rotational force must be placed on the door handle to move thelobe 517 from a vertical position. This design prevents the door camplate 515A and door handle from rotating due to the force exerted by theweight of front door 500 on lower hinge pin 545.

Referring to FIG. 13, in this embodiment the front door 500 is alsobonded to the top cover 200 by spring loaded bearing assemblies 610. Twospring loaded bearing assemblies 610 are positioned one at oppositecorners of the top cover 200, one near each bushing 600 and hinge pin545. In positioning spring loaded bearing assembly 610 near hinge pin545, bearing assembly 610 maintains contact with front door 500 as frontdoor 500 is swung to an open position. By using two bearing assemblies610, the front door 500 stays bonded to the top cover 200 when closed,open to the left, or open to the right. Each spring loaded bearingassembly 610 has a generally cylindrical body 615, a ball bearing 620, aface plate 625, and a spring 630. Body 615 is steel or anotherconductive material and has external threads that permit body 615 to bescrewed into paint masked compatible threads in the top cover 200 untilthe steel face plate 625 is flush with the top cover 200, which providesa bond between the spring loaded bearing assembly 610 and the top cover200. Ball bearing 620 is steel or other conductive material and isbiased towards face plate 625 by conductive spring 630 and protrudesbeyond face plate 625 so that it contacts the top of the front door 500.The top of the front door 500 is masked where the ball bearing 620 willcontact the front door 500, which provides a bond between the bearingassembly 610 and the front door 500. The bearing assemblies arepositioned close enough to the bushing 600 and hinge pin 545 so that thefront door 500 can open to approximately 160 degrees while maintainingthe bond between the front door 500 and the top cover 200. The use ofthe bearing assemblies 610 to create the bond between the front door 500and the top cover 200 allows for the removal of the front door 500without the need to disconnect any jumper wires.

Alternatively, as can be seen in FIGS. 12B and 12E, rather than bondingthe front door 500 to the base frame 100 through a spring loaded bearingassembly 610 in the top cover 200, the front door 500 can be bonded tothe base frame 100 through the lifting screw 605 in the door mount 15.To bond the front door 500 in this manner, the lifting screw 605 isfirst bonded to the door mount 15. This can be done by using atrilobular lifting screw, by placing an internal tooth lock washerbetween the head of the lifting screw and the door mount, by using alifting screw that has teeth on the underside of the head, or by paintmasking the portion of the door mount that will contact the head of thelifting screw. The hinge pin 545 is then bonded to the front door 500,such as by attaching a jumper wire between the hinge pins 545 and thefront door 500. Therefore, when the hinge pins 545 contact the liftingscrews 605, a bond is created between the front door 500 and the doormount 15 through the jumper wire, hinge pins 545, and lifting screws605.

As can be seen from the detailed descriptions above, in this embodimentwhen the network cabinet 10 is fully assembled, all of the components ofthe cabinet are bonded together. The components that make up the baseframe 100 are all bonded by welding them together. The door mounts 15,equipment rails 20, and top cover 200 are bonded to the base frame byuse of internal tooth lock washers. The side panels 300 are bonded tothe top cover 200 by use of grounding clips 335. The back doors 400 aregrounded to the top cover 200 by spring loaded grounding hingemechanisms 435. Finally, the front door 500 is grounded to the top cover200 by the spring loaded bearing assemblies 610. By bonding all of thecomponents of the cabinet together, separate grounding jumper wires arenot required and the network cabinet 10 is completely grounded andrequires only a single point of contact with the main building ground(e.g. the ground whip 25).

Referring to FIG. 14A, the network cabinet 10 can also include casterassemblies 700, cable management fingers 800, and slack managementspools 900.

Referring to FIGS. 14A and 14B, in this example caster assemblies 700are mounted to the sides of front and back vertical frame rails 105,110, alleviating the need to tip or turn the network cabinet 10 or baseframe 100 in order to install, remove, or repair the caster assemblies700. Caster assemblies 700 include a body 705, which is steel or otherconductive material and is formed by a first wall 710, a second wall 715that extends generally perpendicular to the first wall 710, and a pairof support walls 720 that extend between the first wall 710 and secondwall 715 to provide strength and rigidity to the body 705.

A standard caster wheel 730 is attached to the second wall 715 of thebody 705. The first wall 710 of the body 705 has a pair of holes 711 anda wall member 712 that extends from the first wall 710 to form a slot713 between the wall member 712 and the first wall 710.

As shown in FIG. 14B, to install caster assembly 700, the base frame 100is raised by rotating the leveling legs 60. The first wall 710 of thecaster assembly 700 is placed against the back vertical frame rail 110such that the wall member 712 extends into an aperture 111 in thevertical frame rail 110. The caster assembly 700 is then lowered suchthat a tongue 112 formed in the aperture 111 engages the slot 713 formedbetween the wall member 712 and the first wall 710 and holes 711 in thefirst wall 710 are aligned with holes 113 that are formed in the backvertical frame rail 110. A pair of bolts 725 are inserted through theholes 711 in the first wall 710 and the holes 113 in the back verticalframe rail 110 and are threaded into a jam-nut 114 that is welded to theback vertical frame rail 110. The base frame 100 is then lowered byrotating the leveling legs 60 until the base frame rests on the casterassemblies 700. In addition to attaching the caster assembly 700 to theback vertical frame rail 110, the bolts 725 and jam-nut 114 can alsoprovide bonding between the caster assembly 700 and the back verticalframe rail 110. To create the bond, the bolts 725 can have serrations orteeth on the underside of the head that bite through any paint into themetal of the body 705 to provide a bond between the body 705 and thebolts 725. Alternatively, standard bolts could also be used withinternal tooth lock washers to provide the bond or standard bolts couldbe used and the area around the holes 711 could be paint masked toprovide the bond if bonding is desired.

Referring to FIGS. 14A, 15A, and 15B, in this example multiple left handcable management units 800 and right hand cable management units 805,which are mirror images of each other, can be mounted to the front andback faces of front vertical frame rails 105A, 105B and front and backfaces of the back vertical frame rails 110A, 110B. As used herein, thefront faces of front and back vertical frames rails 105A, 105B, 110A,and 110B are the faces that face outward from base frame 100 and aredirectly accessible from the outside of base frame 100. The back facesof front and back vertical frame rails 105A, 105B, 110A, and 110B arethe faces that are opposite the front faces, face inward towards theinside of base frame 100, and are generally accessible from the insideor sides of base frame 100. For convenience, FIG. 14A shows left andright hand cable management units 800, 805 mounted only to the front andback faces of front vertical frame rails 105A and 105B.

As described in more detail below, left hand cable management units 800would be mounted to the front faces of left side front vertical framerail 105A (left side when facing the cabinet from the front) and leftside back vertical frame rail 110A (left side when facing the cabinetfrom the back) and to the back faces of right side front vertical framerail 105B and right side back vertical frame rail 110B. Right hand cablemanagement units 805 would be mounted to the front faces of right sidefront vertical frame rail 105B and right side back vertical frame rail110B and to the back faces of left side front vertical frame rail 105Aand left side back vertical frame rail 110A. In this example, five cablemanagement units 800, 805 can be mounted on the front faces of front andback vertical frame rails 105A, 105B, 110A, and 110B and four cablemanagement units 800, 805 can be mounted in the back faces of front andback vertical frame rails 105A, 105B, 110A, and 110B.

As can best be seen in FIGS. 15A and 15B, in this example each cablemanagement unit 800, 805 is molded plastic and includes a base 810 andnine fingers 815 that protrude and extend from base 810. Each finger 815has a generally vertically oriented cable retainer 816 at its distal end(opposite the base 810) that prevents cables from spilling out offingers 815 and provides approximately 6.2 inches of cable managementlength (shown as A in FIG. 15A) between base 810 and cable retainers816. Each finger 815 has a semi-circular cross-section in which theoutside surface 820 (the surface that faces outside base frame 100 wheninstalled and will contact cables) is solid and has a bend radius ofapproximately 0.25 inches and inside surface 821 (the surface that facesinside base frame 100 when installed) is cored out to make fingers 815generally hollow. The bend radius of outside surface 820 provides forthe management of cable without any sharp corners which can damage thecables. Conversely, inside surface 821 does not generally contact thecables and therefore can be designed without bend radii and can be coredout for manufacturability purposes.

In the example shown, the spacing between the tops of adjacent fingers815 is approximately 1.75 inches (shown as B in FIG. 15 B), which isequivalent to one rack unit (“RU”). Each finger 815 has a height ofapproximately 0.5 inches, which provides approximately 1.25 inches ofcable management height (shown as C in FIG. 15B). The finger height andspacing combine to allow for management of 48 Cat 6 cables, 24 cat6Acables, or other types of cabling, such as communication cabling, ineach RU. The area where base 810 meets each finger 815 also has a bendradius of approximately 0.3 inches.

Referring additionally to FIGS. 16A and 16B, in this example each cablemanagement unit 800, 805 includes buttons 825 that protrude from theback surface of base 810, opposite the fingers 815. Buttons 825 areadapted to engage corresponding apertures 150 in the faces of front andback vertical frame rails 105, 110 to mount cable management units 800,805 to vertical frame rails 105, 110. Buttons 825 are inserted intocorresponding apertures 150 and the cable management unit 800, 805 ispushed down to snap it into place. This allows the manual assembly andremoval of cable management units 800, 805 with no additional fastenersor tools. In addition, when multiple cable management units are mounted,a gap of approximately 0.75 inches is left between adjacent units toallow for removal of individual units without having to remove unitsmounted above.

As can best be seen in the enlarged partial views in FIGS. 16A and 16B,on each cable management unit 800, 805, one of the buttons 825 will alsoinclude a protrusion 830 that extends laterally from one side of thebutton. In the example shown, protrusion 830 extends from the top of thebutton and is skewed to the left for left hand cable management units800 and skewed to the right for right hand cable management units 805.This protrusion 830 is adapted to coincide with a slot 155 that extendsfrom one side of an aperture 150. One button on each cable managementunit 800, 805 will have a protrusion 830 and only selected apertures 150in vertical frame rails 105, 110 will have slots 155, which act as akeying feature to prevent cable management units 800, 805 from beingmounted on the wrong side of a vertical frame rail 105, 110 or frombeing mounted upside down. Having slots 155 only in predeterminedapertures 150 also requires that cable management units 800, 805 bemounted in predetermined positions. Alternatively, all of the buttons825 could have protrusions 830 and all apertures 150 could have slots155. This would allow the vertical positioning of the cable managementunits 800, 805 anywhere along a vertical frame rail while stillpreventing the mounting on the wrong side of a vertical frame rail ormounting upside down.

As can best be seen in FIGS. 15A, 15B, and 17, each cable managementunit 800, 805 can also have a cantilevered locking finger 835 formed inthe back surface of base 810. The outside surface of locking finger 835has a shallow inclined lead in face 840, which is angled from the backsurface approximately 20-40 degrees (lead in angle shown as D in FIG.17), and a steep inclined lead out face 845, which is angled from theback surface approximately 30-50 degrees (lead out angle shown as E inFIG. 17). Locking finger 835 and faces 840, 845 are adapted to engageand snap into a locking slot 160 in vertical frame rails 105, 110 (seeFIGS. 16A and 16B) to secure cable management units 800, 805 to verticalframe rails 105, 110. The shallow lead in angle D allows for easymounting of the cable management units 800, 805, while the steep leadout angle E provides more resistance so that cable management units 800,805 can be, but are not easily, removed.

Referring to FIGS. 14A, 18A, and 18B, slack management spools 900 canalso be mounted to front and back vertical frame rails 105, 110 viabrackets 905.

Referring specifically to FIG. 18B, a slack management spool 900 isshown that, in this example, is plastic and includes a generallycylindrical spool body 950, a stop wall 955 formed at one end of thespool body 950, and a mounting wall 960 formed at the second end of thespool body 950 opposite the stop wall 955. The mounting wall 960 has apair of generally cylindrical protrusions 965 that are adapted to engagemounting holes in the brackets 905, as seen in FIG. 18A and as discussedin more detail below. Each of the protrusions 965 has a first section966 that extends from the surface of the mounting wall 960 and has afirst dimension and a second section 967 at the end of the first section966 that has a second dimension, which is greater than the firstdimension. In this example, first section 966 and second section 967 aregenerally circular in design, wherein the first and second dimensionsare diameters.

Referring specifically to FIG. 18A, the mounting of a slack managementspool 900 to a front vertical frame rail 105 by a bracket 905 is shown.Bracket 905, in this example, is steel and is generally “L” shapedhaving a first wall 910 and a second wall 915 that extends generallyperpendicular to the first wall 910. Alternatively, bracket 905 could bemade in any geometry and of any material appropriate for a givenapplication. First wall 910 has a hole 911 and a wall member 912 thatextends from first wall 910 to form a slot 913 between wall member 912and first wall 910. Second wall 915 has a pair of mounting holes 916that are adapted to receive and secure the protrusions extending frommounting wall 960 of slack management spools 900.

To mount a bracket 905 to a front vertical frame rail 105, first wall910 of bracket 905 is placed against the front vertical frame rail 105such that wall member 912 extends into an aperture 106 in front verticalframe rail 105. Apertures 106 are positioned spaced apart along verticalframe rails 105, 110. In this example, four apertures 106 are providedin each vertical frame rail 105, 110, as can be seen in FIG. 14A.Bracket 905 is then lowered such that a tongue 107 formed in aperture106 engages slot 913 formed between wall member 912 and first wall 910.Bracket 905 is lowered until hole 911 in first wall 910 is aligned witha hole 108 formed in the front vertical frame rail 105. A trilobularscrew 920 can be inserted through hole 911 in first wall 910 and isthreaded into hole 108 in front vertical frame rail 105. Trilobularscrew 920 provides a bond to the front vertical frame rail 105 bycutting threads into the metal of front vertical frame rail 105. Toprovide a bond between trilobular screw 920 and bracket 905, trilobularscrew 920 has serrations or teeth on the underside of the head that biteinto the metal of bracket 905. Alternatively, a standard bolt could beused with an internal tooth lock washer or a standard bolt could be usedand the area around hole 911 could be paint masked and the area withinhole 108 could be paint masked as well if bonding is desired.

Slack management spool 900 is then mounted to bracket 905 by insertingprotrusions 965 extending from mounting wall 960 through mounting holes916 in bracket 905 and sliding spool 900 downward until the firstsection 966 of protrusions 965 engage mounting holes 916.

Referring to FIGS. 19-21, there is shown two network cabinets 10 thatare ganged, or joined, together. To gang two network cabinets 10together the left side panel 300 of the right cabinet is removed and theright side panel 300 is removed from the left cabinet. The cabinets arethen positioned next to each other such that the sides with side panels300 removed are positioned adjacent one another. Top covers 200 of theadjacent network cabinets 10 are secured together by inserting boltsthrough holes in the adjacent side flanges 202 (not shown in FIGS.19-21) of top covers 200 and threading nuts onto the bolts to secure thetop covers 200 together. Generally “L” shaped steel brackets 660 arealso bolted or screwed to the adjacent ends of front and back doormounts 15. In addition, generally “U” shaped double spool brackets 970could also be attached between the adjacent front vertical frame rails105 and back vertical frame rails 110 of the ganged cabinets.

Referring specifically to FIG. 21, the cross hatched areas (side cablemanagement pathways 640 and center cable management pathway 650) showthe cable management pathways that are created as a result of insetframe structure of the network cabinets 10 when two network cabinets 10are ganged together. Side cable management pathways 640 are bounded byside panels 300 on the outside and front and back vertical frame rails105, 110 and front to back support beams 135 on the inside. Center cablemanagement pathway 650 is a larger cable management pathway that isbounded on the left and right by the adjacent front and back verticalframe rails 105, 110 and front to back support beams 135. Hinging frontdoors 500 outward (as shown in FIG. 21) provides clear access to centercable management pathway 650. Hinging front doors 500 inward providesclear access to the corresponding side cable management pathways 640,which can also be clearly accessed by removing the corresponding sidepanel 300.

Referring to FIG. 22, an alternative embodiment of a network cabinet 10Aaccording to the present invention is shown. Elements of network cabinet10A illustrated in FIGS. 22-29 similar to elements of network cabinet 10illustrated in FIGS. 1-21 are identified with the same reference numberand an “A”. Many similarities exist between network cabinet 10A andnetwork cabinet 10, and such similarities will not be described indetail herein. It should be understood that network cabinet 10A iscapable of including all the features, functions, and characteristics ofnetwork cabinet 10 unless otherwise indicated below. The differencesbetween network cabinet 10A illustrated in FIGS. 22-29 and networkcabinet 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1-21 will be described below in detail.

In the illustrated embodiment, the network cabinet 10A generallyincludes a base frame 100A, top cover 200A, side panels 300A, back doors400A, and front doors 500A. When fully assembled, the exemplary networkcabinet 10A is approximately 40 inches wide, 48 inches deep, and 84inches high and has 45 rack units.

Referring to FIG. 23, the base frame 100A is similar to the base frame100 of the first embodiment of the network cabinet 10 except the baseframe 100A includes a bottom base extension member 1000 connected to theends of the front to back base beams 115A. In the illustrated exemplaryembodiment, the bottom extension member 1000 is substantiallyrectangular in shape, may be made of steel but can be made of anysuitable conductive or non-conductive material, and is secured to andbetween the front to back base beams 115A and the rear door mount 15A,thereby accommodating the additional 8 inches of depth in the networkcabinet 10A. The side to side base beams 120A are welded to the front toback base beams 115A and, along with the bottom base extension member1000 and the door mounts 15A, form a base member for the networkcabinet. Bottom extension member 1000 may be connected to the front toback base beams 115A and the rear door mount 15A in any appropriatemanner such as, for example, mechanical fasteners, bonding, welding,etc. In other embodiments, the bottom extension member 1000 may comprisea pair of longitudinal beams, separate and spaced apart from each other,and connected to respective front to back base beams 115A. Thisembodiment of the bottom extension member 1000 may also be connected tothe front to back base beams 115A and rear door mount 15A in anyappropriate manner. In yet other embodiments, the front to back basebeams 115A may be extended to accommodate the additional 8 inches ofcabinet depth. In such an embodiment, an additional side to side basebeam 120A may be incorporated for additional support.

Referring now to FIGS. 22 and 23, the illustrated exemplary embodimentof the top cover 200A is a generally rectangular steel sheet havingrolled over edges that is positioned on the front to back top beams 125Aand side to side top beams 130A and secured to the front to back topbeams 125A. Four steel threaded members 230A (also see FIGS. 4A and 4Bfor similar threaded members 230) are welded to the bottom side of thetop cover 200A and extend from the bottom side of the top cover 200Asuch that they align with holes or slots (not shown) in the top surfacesof the front to back top beams 125A. The threaded members 230A arealigned with and inserted into the holes in the front to back top beams125A such that they extend through the holes. On three of the threadedmembers 230A, hex nuts (not shown in FIG. 23, but reference is made toFIGS. 4A and 4B for similar hex nuts 235) are threaded onto the threadedmembers 230A to secure the top cover 200A. On the fourth threaded member230A, the top cover 200A is also bonded to the front to back top beam125A by placing an internal tooth lock washer (not shown in FIG. 23, butreference is made to FIGS. 4A and 4B for a similar lock washer 240)between the hex nut and the front to back top beam 125A. An anti-oxidantpaste could also be placed on the front to back top beam 125A,underneath the lock washer, to prevent possible corrosion where theteeth of the lock washer bite into the metal of the front to back topbeam 125A. This provides a ground path from the top cover 200A to thefront to back top beam 125A through the threaded member 230A, hex nut,and lock washer. Alternatively, a regular washer could be used and thearea around the hole in the front to back top beam 125A could be maskedoff or an internal tooth hex nut could be used in place of the describedhex nut and lock washer if bonding is desired. In addition, top cover200A could be constructed of any geometry and material and be connectedvia any means appropriate for a given application.

Referring now to FIGS. 22, 23, and 24-24B, top cover 200A also has apair of cable entry knockouts 210A, a center opening 1005 (see FIG. 23)and center cover 1010, a plurality of cable entry openings 1015 andassociated sealing assemblies 1020, and a plurality of rear exhaustopenings 1025.

The cable entry knockouts 210A are similar to cable entry knockouts 210illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, and can be removed to form openings intop cover 200A to provide cable entry access in an over-head cabledeployment application.

Center opening 1005 is defined in the top cover 200A to provideadditional cable entry access in an over-head deployment application,provide an opening for accessories such as a fan, or for any otherdesired purpose. Center opening 1005 may be selectively covered bycenter cover 1010 to prevent cable access and air exhaust out of orentry into the network cabinet 10A. Center cover 1010 may be removablysecured to the top cover 200A in a variety of manners including, forexample, mechanical fasteners such as screws or bolts, clips, snaps,hook and loop type fasteners, adhesion, bonding, pressure orinterference fits, etc., as long as the center cover 1010 is connectableto and removable from top cover 200A. Alternatively, center opening 1005may initially include a knockout positioned therein similar to knockouts210A and the center opening 1005 may be exposed only after removal ofthe knockout.

With reference to FIGS. 24-24B, the illustrated exemplary embodiment oftop cover 200A defines twelve removably sealable cable entry openings1015 therein. However, the top cover 200A may alternatively includeother numbers of openings 1015. Knockouts similar to knockouts 210A maybe initially positioned in the openings 1015 and the openings 1015 maybe exposed only after removal of the knockouts. Alternatively, top cover200A may be formed with the openings 1015 defined therein without anyknockouts as shown in FIG. 24B. No matter the manner used to provide theopenings 1015, a sealing assembly 1020 may be removably inserted intoeach opening 1015 to selectively seal the opening 1015. A wide varietyof types of sealing assemblies 1020 may be positioned in the openings1015 in order to provide desired sealing and the illustrated exemplaryembodiment is only one of the many possible sealing assemblies. Each ofthe illustrated exemplary sealing assemblies 1020 includes a grommet1030 and a cover 1035. Grommet 1030 includes a rectangular flat portion,which is greater in width and length than the opening 1015 and isgenerally parallel to top cover 200A when installed, in order to preventthe grommet 1030 from passing through the opening 1015, and an aperture1040 defined therethrough aligned with the opening 1015. Acircumferential wall 1031 (see FIG. 23) extends generally perpendicularto the flat portion of grommet 1030 and encircles the perimeter ofaperture 1040, such that wall 1031 extends through opening 1015. Grommet1030, and especially wall 1031, protects cables extending throughopenings 1015 from the sharp edge of the openings 1015 defined by themetal top cover 200A and also provides an aperture where the cover 1035may be removably positioned. Cover 1035 may be positioned in and removedfrom the aperture 1040 defined in the grommet 1030, as desired, toselectively provide or prevent cable access to the interior of thenetwork cabinet 10A or inhibit air exhaustion out of or entry into thenetwork cabinet 10A via the aperture 1040. Cover 1035 may be removablysecured to the grommet 1030 in a variety of manners including, forexample, clips (which is the illustrated embodiment), mechanicalfasteners, hook and loop type fasteners, adhesion, bonding, pressure orinterference fits, etc., as long as the cover 1035 may be removed fromand positioned in the aperture 1040 as desired.

In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the top cover 200A also definesthree rear exhaust openings 1025. However, the top cover 200A mayalternatively include other numbers of rear exhaust openings 1025. Rearexhaust openings 1025 are configured to accommodate an over-head exhaustapplication where at least a portion of the heated air created by theelectrical components present in the cabinet 10A is exhausted out thetop of the network cabinet 10A. Rear exhaust openings 1025 cooperatewith an exhaust duct 1045 (see FIG. 22) connected to top cover 200A forexhausting heated air from the top of network cabinet 10A to downstreamexhaust equipment. In some examples, the downstream exhaust equipmentmay be an above-ceiling duct system that carries and exhausts the heatedair outside of the network cabinet environment, or recirculates the airto be cooled and reintroduced into the network cabinet environment. Insome embodiments, a rear exhaust cover (not shown) or multiple rearexhaust covers (not shown) may be removably connected to the top cover200A to cover the rear exhaust openings 1025 as desired. Such rearexhaust cover(s) may be connected to top cover 200A in a variety ofmanners including, for example, mechanical fasteners such as screws orbolts, clips, snaps, hook and loop type fasteners, adhesion, bonding,pressure or interference fits, etc., as long as the rear exhaustcover(s) is(are) connectable to and removable from top cover 200A. Inyet other embodiments, rear exhaust openings 1025 may initially includeknockouts similar to knockouts 210A positioned therein and the rearexhaust openings 1025 may be exposed only after removal of theknockouts.

Referring to FIGS. 22-23F, network cabinet 10A also includes a pair ofsupport members 1050, a pair of front corner posts 1055, and a pair ofrear corner posts 1060. Support members 1050 are used to provide supportto side panels 300A, front corner posts 1055, and rear corner posts 1060when installed. Front corner posts 1055 and rear corner posts 1060 areremoveably secured and are used to provide support to top cover 200A,especially during shipping or moving of the network cabinet, and alsoprovide a structure for sealing side panels 300A to prevent the passageof exhaust air out of the network cabinet around side panels 300A. Onesupport member 1050 is disposed on each side of the base member andextends between the front and rear door mounts 15A. With additionalreference to FIG. 26, each of the illustrated exemplary support members1050 includes a lower horizontal flange 1065, a vertical body 1070extending upward from an end of the lower horizontal flange 1065, anupper horizontal flange 1075 extending horizontally from an upper end ofthe body 1070, a vertical flange 1080 extending upward from an end ofthe upper horizontal flange 1075, and two end flanges 1085 (only oneshown in FIG. 26—see FIGS. 23D and 23F for both flanges 1085) extendingperpendicularly from the body 1070 for purposes of connecting thesupport member 1050 to the door mounts 15A. The support members 1050 areconnected at their ends via the end flanges 1085 to the front and reardoor mounts 15A by bolts 1090 (see FIGS. 23D and 23F) that extendthrough aligned holes (not shown) in the door mounts 15A and end flanges1085, and thread into nuts (not shown). In addition, as shown in FIGS.23D and 23F, internal tooth lock washers 1095 may be disposed betweenthe bolts 1090 and the support members 1050. The bolts 1090 are insertedthrough the internal tooth lock washers 1095 and through holes in thesupport members 1050 and are threaded into nuts (not shown). Theinternal tooth lock washers 1095 have teeth that pierce the paint orcoating on the support members 1050 and bite into the metal of thesupport members 1050 to provide a ground path between the supportmembers 1050 and the door mounts 15A through washers 1095, bolts 1090,and nuts. An anti-oxidant paste could also be placed on the supportmembers 1050, between the support members 1050 and lock washers 1095, toprevent possible corrosion where the teeth of the lock washers 1095 biteinto the metal of the support members 1050. Alternatively, a regularwasher could be used and the area around the holes could be masked offor a serrated head bolt could be used in place of the bolts and internaltooth lock washers to similarly provide a bond between support members1050 and door mounts 15A if bonding is desired.

With particular reference to FIG. 23, this alternative network cabinet10A includes a pair of center brackets 311A, similar to the centerbrackets 311 of the first embodiment of the network cabinet 10, with onebracket 311A near the center of each of the support members 1050 toprovide support near the center of the support members 1050. The supportbrackets 311A are connected to the support members 1050 at one end andto the front to back base beams 115A at the other end. Since the widthof the network cabinet 10A is wider than the first embodiment of thenetwork cabinet 10, the center brackets 311A in the alternative cabinet10A are longer than the center brackets 311 of the first embodiment ofthe cabinet 10 to accommodate the extra width.

Referring now to FIGS. 23, 23A, 23C, and 23D, the front corner posts1055 are positioned at the two front corners of the network cabinet 10Aand are spaced apart from front vertical frame rails 105 and backvertical frame rails 110. More particularly, top ends of the frontcorner posts 1055 are connected to top cover 200A and bottom ends of thefront corner posts 1055 are connected to the front door mount 15A andthe support members 1050. At the top end of each of the front cornerposts 1055, a bolt 1100 (see FIGS. 23 and 23A) extends through alignedholes (not shown) in the top cover 200A and the front corner post 1055and threads into a nut (not shown). In addition, as shown in FIG. 23A,an internal tooth lock washer 1105 may be disposed between each bolt1100 and the top cover 200A. The bolts 1100 are inserted through theinternal tooth lock washers 1105 and through holes in the top cover 200Aand are threaded into nuts. The internal tooth lock washers 1105 haveteeth that pierce the paint or coating on the top cover 200A and biteinto the metal of the top cover 200A to provide a ground path betweenthe front corner posts 1055 and the top cover 200A through washers 1105,bolts 1100, and nuts. An anti-oxidant paste could also be placed on thetop cover 200A, between the top cover 200A and lock washers 1105, toprevent possible corrosion where the teeth of the lock washers 1105 biteinto the metal of the top cover 200A. Alternatively, a regular washercould be used and the area around the holes could be masked off or aserrated head bolt could be used in place of the bolts and internaltooth lock washers to similarly provide a bond between front cornerposts 1055 and top cover 200A if bonding is desired.

At the bottom end of each of the front corner posts 1055 (see FIGS. 23Cand 23D), a first bolt 1110 extends through aligned holes (not shown) inthe front corner post 1055 and the front door mount 15A and threads intoa nut (not shown), and a second bolt 1115 extends through aligned holes(not shown) in the front corner post 1055 and the support member 1050.Additionally, a first internal tooth lock washer 1120 is disposedbetween the first bolt 1110 and the front corner post 1055 and a secondinternal tooth lock washer 1125 is disposed between the second bolt 1115and the front corner post 1055. These internal tooth lock washers 1120,1125 are the same as other internal tooth lock washers and perform thefunction of providing a grounding path between the front corner posts1055, the front door mount 15A, and the support members 1050 through thewashers 1120, 1125, bolts 1110, 1115, and nuts. An anti-oxidant pastecould also be placed on the front corner posts 1055, between the frontcorner posts 1055 and lock washers 1120, 1125, to prevent possiblecorrosion where the teeth of the lock washers 1120, 1125 bite into themetal of the front corner posts 1055. Alternatively, a regular washercould be used and the area around the holes could be masked off or aserrated head bolt could be used in place of the bolts and internaltooth lock washers to similarly provide a bond between front cornerposts 1055, the front door mount 15A, and the support members 1050 ifbonding is desired.

Referring now to FIGS. 23, 23B, 23E, and 23F, the rear corner posts 1060are positioned at the two rear corners of the network cabinet 10A. Moreparticularly, top ends of the rear corner posts 1060 are connected totop cover 200A and bottom ends of the rear corner posts 1060 areconnected to the rear door mount 15A and the support members 1050. Atthe top end of each of the rear corner posts 1060, two bolts 1130 (seeFIGS. 23 and 23B) extend through aligned holes (not shown) in the topcover 200A and the rear corner post 1060 and threads into nuts (notshown). In addition, as shown in FIG. 23B, an internal tooth lock washer1135 may be disposed between each bolt 1130 and the top cover 200A. Thebolts 1130 are inserted through the internal tooth lock washers 1135 andthrough holes in the top cover 200A and are threaded into nuts. Theinternal tooth lock washers 1135 have teeth that pierce the paint orcoating on the top cover 200A and bite into the metal of the top cover200A to provide a ground path between the rear corner posts 1060 and thetop cover 200A through washers 1135, bolts 1130, and nuts. Ananti-oxidant paste could also be placed on the top cover 200A, betweenthe top cover 200A and lock washers 1135, to prevent possible corrosionwhere the teeth of the lock washers 1135 bite into the metal of the topcover 200A. Alternatively, a regular washer could be used and the areaaround the holes could be masked off or a serrated head bolt could beused in place of the bolts and internal tooth lock washers to similarlyprovide a bond between rear corner posts 1060 and top cover 200A ifbonding is desired.

At the bottom end of each of the rear corner posts 1060 (see FIGS. 23Eand 23F), a first bolt 1140 extends through aligned holes (not shown) inthe rear corner post 1060 and the rear door mount 15A and threads into anut (not shown), and second and third bolts 1145 (only one shown in FIG.23F) extend through aligned holes (not shown) in the rear corner post1060 and the support member 1050. Additionally, a first internal toothlock washer 1150 is disposed between the first bolt 1140 and the rearcorner post 1060, and second and third internal tooth lock washers 1155are disposed between the second and third bolts 1145 and the rear cornerpost 1060. These internal tooth lock washers 1150, 1155 are the same asother internal tooth lock washers and perform the function of providinga ground path between the rear corner posts 1060, the rear door mount15A, and the support members 1050 through washers 1150, 1155, bolts1140, 1145, and nuts. An anti-oxidant paste could also be placed on therear corner posts 1060, between the rear corner posts 1060 and lockwashers 1150, 1155, to prevent possible corrosion where the teeth of thelock washers 1150, 1155 bite into the metal of the rear corner posts1060. Alternatively, a regular washer could be used and the area aroundthe holes could be masked off or a serrated head bolt could be used inplace of the bolts and internal tooth lock washers to similarly providea bond between rear corner posts 1060, the rear door mount 15A, and thesupport members 1050 if bonding is desired.

It should be understood that the manners described herein for removablysecuring and electrically bonding the front and rear corner posts 1055,1060 within the network cabinet 10A are for exemplary purposes only andare not intended to be limiting. The front and rear corner posts 1055,1060 are capable of being removably secured and electrically bondedwithin the network cabinet 10A in a variety of additional manners aslong as the front and rear corner posts 1055, 1060 are rigidly securedwithin and are removable from the network cabinet and are properlyelectrically bonded. It is desirable for the front and rear corner posts1055, 1060 to be removably connected within the network cabinet 10A suchthat the front and rear corner posts 1055, 1060 can be installed andremoved as desired. The illustrated and described manner of securing andbonding the front and rear corner posts 1055, 1060 with the boltsfacilitates installation and removal of the front and rear corner posts1055, 1060 as desired. Further, any of the additional manners ofsecuring and electrically bonding the front and rear corner posts 1055,1060 within the network cabinet 10A may also facilitate installation andremoval of the front and rear corner posts 1055, 1060 as desired.

With reference to FIGS. 23, 23C, 23E, and 25, each of the front cornerposts 1055 includes a rearward extending flange 1160 along substantiallythe entire height thereof that provides a flat exterior surface. Inaddition, each of the rear corner posts 1060 includes a forwardextending flange 1165 along substantially the entire height thereof thatprovides a flat exterior surface. When side panels 300A are connected tothe network cabinet 10A (described in greater detail below), verticalside edges 1170 of the side panels 300A overlap with the flanges 1160,1165 of the front and rear corner posts 1055, 1060 and abut or arepositioned close to the exterior surfaces of the flanges 1160, 1165.This close proximity or abutment of the side edges 1170 of the sidepanels 300A and the exterior surfaces of the flanges 1160, 1165, alongwith the lateral flanges 1160, 1165 extending beyond and internally ofthe gaps or points of contact of the side edges 1170 of the side panels300A and the exterior surfaces of the flanges 1160, 1165, provides aseal between the side panels 300A and the front and rear corner posts1055, 1060 to inhibit flow of air into and out of the network cabinet10A. If additional sealing is desired, a separate sealing device may beincorporated between the exterior surfaces of the flanges 1160, 1165 andthe side edges 1170 of the side panel 300A such as, for example, a feltstrip, foam seal, rubber seal, weathering strip, or other sealingdevice.

Referring to FIGS. 25 and 26, side panels 300A in this embodiment aregenerally rectangular sheet steel. Side panels 300A include supportmembers 1175 secured to interior surfaces thereof and extendsubstantially the entire height of the side panels 300A. In someembodiments, rather than using a single side panel 300A per side of thenetwork cabinet 10A, multiple side panels could be used on each side andvarious geometries, materials, and designs could be used depending onthe particular application. Here, the side panels 300A have hooks 305Aattached to the bottom inside surface thereof and latches 315A attachedto the top thereof, which are substantially the same as the hooks 305and latches 315 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-21.

To mount the bottom of side panels 300A, flange 1080 extends upward fromeach of the support members 1050 and, as can best be seen in FIG. 26,the hook 305A of each side panel 300A is placed over the flange 1080 tovertically support and properly align the side panel 300A. In theillustrated exemplary embodiment and with particular reference to FIG.25, flange 1080 has a length approximately the same as the width of theside panel 300A. In other embodiments, the flange 1080 may have otherlengths shorter or longer than the length of the side panel 300A. Theside panel 300A is then rotated into a vertical position and the latches315A secure the side panel 300A to the top cover 200A in a similarmanner to latches 315 described above in association with the firstembodiment of network cabinet 10. Upon securement of the side panel 300Ato the network cabinet 10A, a bottom surface 1180 of the side panel 300Aabuts or is positioned close to the upper horizontal flange 1075 of thesupport member 1050. This close proximity or abutment of the bottomsurface 1180 of the side panel 300A and the upper horizontal flange1075, along with the vertical flange 1080 extending upwardly from andinternally of the gap or point of contact of the bottom surface 1180 andthe upper horizontal flange 1075, provides an adequate seal between theside panel 300A and the support member 1050 to inhibit flow of air intoor out of the network cabinet 10A. If additional sealing is desired, aseparate sealing device may be incorporated between the bottom surface1180 of the side panel 300A and the top of the upper horizontal flange1075 such as, for example, a felt strip, foam seal, rubber seal,weathering strip, or other sealing device.

Side panels 300A may be bonded to top cover 200A similarly to themanners in which side panels 300 are bonded to top cover 200 of thefirst embodiment of the network cabinet 10. For example, each side panel300A may be grounded to top cover 200A through a grounding clip in amanner similar to that described above in connection with the firstembodiment of the network cabinet 10.

Side panels 300A may also be bonded to the base frame 100A through theflanges 1080 and hooks 305A. To provide bonding in this manner, flanges1080 are electrically bonded to the door mounts 15A as described aboveand the hooks 305A are electrically bonded to the side panels 300A.Thus, a bond is created between the side panels 300A and the base frame100A when the hooks 305A engage flanges 1080.

Referring now to FIGS. 27 and 27A, front doors 500A are mounted to thefront of the network cabinet 10A between top cover 200A and the frontdoor mount 15A. In the example shown, the front doors 500A are splitdoors and are generally rectangular sheet steel that can be solid orperforated for aesthetics and air flow. Alternatively, rather than usinga split door, a single front dual hinged door, a single hinged door, orany other type of door could be used as well and front doors 500A couldbe made of any geometry and of any material and design as required for aparticular application. The front doors 500A are similar in structureand operation to the back doors 400 associated with the first embodimentof the network cabinet 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1-21 and, therefore, willnot be described in great detail herein. One difference between thefront doors 500A of the alternative network cabinet 10A and the backdoors 400 of the first network cabinet 10 is that the front doors 500Aare configured to connect to a front of the network cabinet 10A. Anotherdifference between front doors 500A and the back doors 400 is that thefront doors 500A include arcuate outer surfaces that cooperate, when thefront doors 500A are closed, to provide a continuous arcuate surfaceprimarily for aesthetic purposes.

As can be seen from the detailed descriptions above, in this embodimentwhen the network cabinet 10A is fully assembled, all of the componentsof the cabinet 10A are bonded together. The components that make up thebase frame 100A are all bonded by welding or fastening them together.The door mounts 15A, equipment rails 20A, and top cover 200A are bondedto the base frame 100A by use of internal tooth lock washers or otherbonding means. The side panels 300A are bonded to the top cover 200A byuse of grounding clips and additionally to the base frame 100A throughthe hooks 305A and flanges 1080 of the support members 1050. The backdoors 400A are grounded to the top cover 200A by spring loaded groundinghinge mechanisms. Similarly, the front doors 500A are grounded to thetop cover 200A by spring loaded grounding hinge mechanisms. By bondingall of the components of the cabinet 10A together, separate groundingjumper wires are not required and the network cabinet 10A is completelygrounded and requires only a single point of contact with the mainbuilding ground (e.g. the ground whip 25 described above and illustratedin association with the first cabinet 10).

Referring to FIG. 28, there is shown two network cabinets 10A ganged, orjoined, together. In order to illustrate the internal components of theganged together cabinets 10A, side panels 300A, back doors 400A, andfront doors 500A have been removed. In a normal operating condition,back doors 400A and front doors 500A would be positioned on both of thenetwork cabinets 10A and at least the two outer most side panels 300Awould be positioned on the outer most sides of the network cabinets 10A.To gang two network cabinets 10A together, the left side panel 300A ofthe right cabinet 10A is removed and the right side panel 300A isremoved from the left cabinet 10A. The cabinets 10A are then positionednext to each other such that the sides with side panels 300A removed arepositioned adjacent one another. Top covers 200A of the adjacent networkcabinets 10A are secured together by inserting bolts through holes inthe adjacent side flanges 202 (not shown in FIGS. 28 and 29—see FIGS. 7Aand 8A-8C) of top covers 200A and threading nuts onto the bolts tosecure the top covers 200A together. Generally “L” shaped steel brackets(not shown) may also be bolted or screwed to the adjacent ends of frontand back door mounts 15A. In addition, brackets (not shown) may also besecured to adjacent support members 1050 of the network cabinet 10A.

With continued reference to FIG. 28, all of the front and rear cornerposts 1055, 1060 are secured to the ganged network cabinets 10A.Alternatively, one or more of the front and rear corner posts 1055, 1060may be removed from the ganged network cabinets 10A.

Referring now to FIG. 29, the two ganged network cabinets 10A includeside panels 300A, back doors 400A, and front doors 500A, but the topcovers 200A have been removed in order to illustrate internal componentsof the ganged together cabinets 10A. In addition, two of the four frontcorner posts 1055 have been removed. More particularly, the two frontcorner posts 1055 adjacent to or abutting each other at the locationwhere the two network cabinets 10A are ganged together have beenremoved. Removal of these two front corner posts 1055 provides a longand continuous cable management pathway 1185 (see cross-hatched area inFIG. 29) spanning the fronts of both ganged network cabinets 10A. Cablemanagement pathway 1185 is bound in front by the interior surfaces offront doors 500A, on sides by a combination of outermost sides panels300A and the remaining two outermost front corner posts 1055, and in therear by a combination of the front surfaces of electrical components(not shown) supported within network cabinets 10A and blanking panels1190 positioned within the cabinets 10A. It should be understood thatthe blanking panels 1190 are not required within the network cabinets10A and may be selectively removed from the cabinets 10A. Cablemanagement pathway 1185 is easily accessible by merely opening one ormore of the front doors 500A of the network cabinets 10A.

1. A network cabinet, comprising: a base member comprising a pair ofside to side base beams and a pair of front to back base beams, the sideto side base beams intersecting the front to back base beams; a verticalframe rail member connected to the base member and positioned spacedapart, along at least a portion of a length of the vertical frame railmember, from at least two adjacent sidewalls and a corner of thecabinet, wherein each sidewall comprises one of a panel and a door; atop cover supported by at least one of the vertical frame rail members;and a corner post removeably connected at one end to the top cover andat an opposite end to the base member and spaced apart, along at least aportion of a length of the corner post, from the vertical frame rail. 2.The network cabinet of claim 1, wherein the corner post is positionedbetween the at least two adjacent sidewalls.
 3. The network cabinet ofclaim 1, further comprising an equipment rail positionable into a spacedapart relationship with the vertical frame rail member.
 4. The networkcabinet of claim 1, further comprising: a second vertical frame rail;wherein the base member defines an opening; and the vertical frame rail,the second vertical frame rail, and one of the sidewalls define a cablemanagement pathway and at least a portion of the cable managementpathway is vertically aligned with at least a portion of the opening andis outside of the front to back base beams.
 5. The network cabinet ofclaim 4, wherein the top cover comprises an opening defined therein andat least a portion of the opening in the top cover is vertically alignedwith at least a portion of the cable management pathway and is outsideof the front to back base beams.
 6. The network cabinet of claim 1,further comprising at least one finger secured to the vertical framerail member and extending from the vertical frame rail member.
 7. Thenetwork cabinet of claim 1, further comprising: a second vertical framerail; wherein the vertical frame rail, the second vertical frame rail,and one of the sidewalls define a cable management pathway and at leasta portion of the cable management pathway is vertically aligned outsideof the front to back base beams.
 8. The network cabinet of claim 7,further comprising an equipment rail positionable into a spaced apartrelationship with the vertical frame rail member.
 9. The network cabinetof claim 7, wherein the top cover comprises an opening defined thereinand at least a portion of the opening in the top cover is verticallyaligned with at least a portion of the cable management pathway.